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The toxic taxi has come to Scugog Township. Port Perry, Blackstock and Prince Albert residents can get rid of household hazardous wastes b pick up on Wednesday nights and Saturdays. PPHS Grade 12 students Jay Sparling, Grade 12 students at Port Perry High School toured the toxic taxi recently. The taxi ser- 3 y calling the municipal office for Hamming it up for the photography are Colin Gilles, Dana Gibson, Samantha McMullen and Cole Parry. The students talked to regional officials about HHW and the toxic taxi recently. vice Is a safe way to get rid of household hazardous wastes such as paint, cleaners, and batteries. Pictured, Troy Fisher, Tyler Zenon, Jamie Mabley and Mike Cormier ham it up by wearing face masks in the taxi. a LL Sh h.-- i ----- LG t P fi: Place poinsetta in well-lit area So you have just received or are about to receive a poinsettia for the holiday season. What to do! When you get your plant home, put it in a well lit spot and give it a thorough soaking until water seeps into the saucer. If your plant is foil-wrapped, poke a hole through the bottom for drainage. Water when the soil surface is dry and keep it out of drafts. Water immediately if leaves begin to wilt. The brightly coloured part of u:e poinsettia blossom is really a rosette of red, pink or white bracts which are a type of leaf. The true flowers are tiny yellow knobs surrounded by the petal- like bracts. If you like a challenge, your plant can be kept to bloom again next year. In late February or when the plant has passed its prime, put it in a dimly lit area and gradually withold water. The leaves will drop off most varieties. After several weeks of low light and little water your plant is ready for a winter rest. Cut it back 6 inches, or so it has as many nodes as you want shoots in the spring. Put in a cool place with temperature of 45 to 60 degrees F. Water sparingly throughout the winter so the roots don't dry out. In the spring, when shoots begin to sprout out of the old leaf scars, or when night temperatures re- main above 50 degrees, bring the plant back into the light and resume your watering schedule. This is also the time to move the plant to a pot one size larger. Use a well-drained potting mix. After all danger of frost has passed, move the plant outside in full sun where it will stay until fall. Sink the pot in the ground to conserve moisture. Don't forget to water during dry spells and fer tilize with 20-20-20, two or three times during the summer. In July, cut all shoots back to 4 inches long. This will encourage your plant to grow full and have many blooms. In late August take the plant inside, but continue to give it plenty of light and water. The final step is the most critical to assure bloom. A con- tinuous night time dark period is essential for flowering. Poinset- tias are short-day plants. This means they must have a set number of uninterrupted hours of darkness to bloom. Even one night of light can interrupt the whole cycle and keep the plant from blooming. From 5.00 in the evening to 8.00 in the morning is a convenient period for many peo- ple. You need 14 to 15 hours darkness. Be sure they're in a place that gets absolutely no light. Moonlight, a streetlight, or even a flashlight can upset the cycle and delay or prevent bloom. A closet or basement is a good night spot for the plants. You can also cover with a black polythene bag. During the day bring it out to full light. Start the treatment in mid-September and continue through to mid-November. By then the bracts will be colouring up. Bring the plant into bright light, water thoroughly and keep it out of drafts. You can keep this lovely and festive plant for many years. Good Luck! Questions on this or any other gardening subject? You may write to Brooklin Master Gardeners, Box 695, Uxbridge, LOC IKO. Our members will be happy to answer your questions. Trade vital to Canada by Ross Stevenson, M.P., Durham GATT isn't usually what you might call an attention grabber. Generally when it's mentioned on newscasts you can see most peo- ple's eyes start to glaze. GATT's been in the news fairly often recently, and no doubt we'll hear more within the next few days. It will be very important news for all of us. If, like most others, you have little or no idea what GATT is all about, I'll try to give a brief ex- planation. The name is from the initials for the General Agree- ment on Tariffs and Trade. That agreement has been around for 43 years and has improved significantly our Canadian stan- dard of living and lifestyle. As tariffs and other trade restrictions were slashed by more than 75 per cent, new interna- tional markets opened up for Canadian products, and goods from all over the world became available in our stores. Trade is vital to Canada -- one in three paycheques depend on our being able to sell wheat, paper and motor cars to foreign buyers. We export one-third of most things we produce. Trade is even more important to farmers, as one-half of all our agricultural produce must be sold to other countries. The reason is that we are a big country with a small population. Japan and the U.S., by com- parison, because they have so many people to buy their products at home, only have to export about 10 to 15 per cent of their production. With GATT's creation back in 1947, world trade rules were transformed. In the aftermath of World War II everyone wanted to keep away from the myriad of trade walls that helped plunge the world into deep depression during the 1930s. At first only 23 nations par- ticipated --- now there are almost 100. About every 10 years they get-together to discuss what more can be done to liberalize trade. The current talks -- called the Uruguay Round because that's where they began -- are now under way at Brussels, Belgium. Everyone agrees that opening up markets is an excellent idea. But the details can be troublesome. This time they're focusing on agriculture, a par- ticularly sticky issue. Indeed, some observers believe an agricultural agreement is essen- tial if the whole GATT system is to survive. On opposing sides are the Euro- pean Community with its 12 member nations, and Canada, the U.S., and most other countries that export farm products. The non-Europeans want major cuts to the hefty subsidies with which the EC bolsters its farmers. Canada's position reflects the realities of our own agriculture. Trade liberalization is sought over a 10-year period, with maintenance of our supply- management systems and agree- ment to stop using health and sanitation laws as false trade barriers. There's a long way to go, and so far neither side has offered to con- cede much. One might ponder that, as there now is a 155 per cent EC tariff on prime Canadians wheat, what would happen if we imposed a similar levy on im- ported European autos. I'm still optimistic a deal can be reached. The alternative would have to be very bad news for Canada and the rest of our world. WE CAN HELP GET CUSTOMERS INTO YOUR STORE BUT THE REST IS UP TO YOU! PRICE - SELECTION - CONVENIENCE They're all important factors when a customer is ready to buy, but in the end it really comes down to SERVICE. Let the Star help make your business known to over 20,000 potential customers each week. "We can deliver the message, but we can't close the sale....that"s up to you!" For advertising Made Easy call the PORT PERRY STAR - 985-7383 ~ who experienced war first-hand? The NEVER AGAIN! videos provide historical accounts of Canada's participation in the First and Second World Wars and Korea. For more information about NEVER AGAIN! please ¢ontact: The War Amputations of Canada National Headquarters © 2827 Riverside Drive Ottawa, Ontario KAY 0C4 Chorfable Regisiration No. 0284834 (9